Death
by Saffronica612
Summary: Two character deaths, two tragedies, one author's attempt to explore the demise of her favorite and least favorite character. How, in my opinion, Cyclonis and Piper would leave this world. or that world, if you want to be technical.
1. Part 1: Cyclonis

Death, Part 1

Author's Note: I know this is a rather dreary title for a rather dreary two-shot, but I wanted to explore writing the death scenes for my favorite and least favorite character. All of you who know me as a writer will know exactly whom I speak of.

The inspiration for this death scene came from a book called "Night World." Credit to where it is due: Nerd Corps © Storm Hawks.

And, to all you Cyclonis lovers: sorry! But, hey, you've got good taste ;-)

* * *

The Storm Hawks screamed as the ceiling above them started collapsing. Cyclonis, however, kept her head, gritting her teeth and supporting the huge pieces of stone with her crystal powers. They all ran forward to try to stop her, but the crystal energy radiating from her new doomsday device made them sprint in slow motion, as if they were underwater.

They were never going to get there in time. Aerrow knew it in an instant.

"Cyclonis! You have to stop this!" Even his voice was being drained of energy as he desperately tried not to be blown away by the waves of crystal power.

Purple eyes flashed desperately. This was her final chance. The Sky Knights had been reclaiming her empire, bit by bit. If this doomsday device failed, then she was finished.

"You'll die!" Aerrow screamed. "We will all die! The entire Atmos will sink into the Wastelands! You don't want that!"

Did she? She had thought once, _if I can't have it, then no one can._ Yet to end all life, to end Cyclonia for good…

Aerrow was right. She didn't want that. She might be finished, but she didn't have to drag the whole world down into hell with her.

Perhaps…just perhaps, she had a chance of redemption.

She raised one hand, and suddenly, everything was silent. Everything stopped.

_BOOM!_

The giant crystal that her device had been energizing explodes, sending sharp shards as big as limbs flying all over the room. The Storm Hawks, far away enough as they were, could dodge them.

Cyclonis, however…

"NOOOOOOOOOO!"

This time, it was Piper who screamed, nearly fainting as she saw the queen's limp body. She had been thrown back, a huge crystal shard piercing through her midsection, small droplets of blood staining her perfect porcelain skin and pooling on the floor around her.

Cyclonis groaned, stirring slightly, and the minimal movement caused pain to wrack through her body. She spat, coughing up blood. Wrenching her violet eyes open, she noticed the Storm Hawks standing above her.

"It's okay. We're going to get you out of here," Aerrow promised.

She laughed, a chuckle that morphed into a cough, spitting more of that precious red liquid all over herself and the floor around her. "Idiot Sky Knight," she hissed, wincing in the pain. "It was a life for the world. A price you convinced me to pay. You can't take it back now."

Aerrow could only step back, eyes filling with tears.

"What, you've never seen death before?" Cyclonis's voice was scratchy, like she had grits stuck in her throat. "And this time, it's your fault, too. Well, go away. You don't have to watch my gruesome final moments. Just go and celebrate the defeat of Cyclonia. This is what you all wanted, wasn't it?"

None of the Storm Hawks could answer.

Piper kneeled down next to her, grabbing her hand. "I'm so sorry, Lark."

This brought another chuckle out of the dying empress's mouth. "Why? Because you called me by a fake name again? You realize that 'Lark' never was anything but a fake, right?"

Curiosity got the better of her. "Then what was your real name?"

Cyclonis laughed again, leering. She looked a bit more like her old self. "You'll never know. Because, you see, Piper, I never liked you. In fact, I hate you. And dying or not, I don't have to be nice, or pretend to be your friend anymore. The secret of my name is dying with me."

Piper stared in shock.

"What's more," Cyclonis continued, "It's not like you're a bad person or anything. You're too good. You would never hurt anyone. And you know what? I just got tired of hearing from all my Talons how _pretty_ Piper was, or how good at _crystals_ she was, or what an asset she would be to Cyclonia, or how _Piper_ had beaten them in a sky duel, and I went to meet you, and I thought—the only thing this girl is, is stubborn."

Cyclonis broke off, coughing again, getting red flecks of blood all over Piper's shell-shocked face.

"And you know what, Piper? You look like a raccoon when you try to put on eye makeup like me."

With that parting line, Cyclonis began coughing again, only this time she couldn't get the blood out fast enough. She began to choke, her whole body arching up in convulsions, until finally, she fell still. Her eyes had fluttered closed.

She wasn't moving.

"That is how I want to die," Finn commented, surprising everyone with his breaking of the awkward silence. "Making my own way out of this world, being a total bitch about it, and pissing everyone off as I go." And everyone couldn't help but laugh, until the hysterical chuckles turned into sobs, and they were all crying and hugging each other for support.

"I…didn't…I didn't even…I hated her!" Piper admitted, crying on Aerrow's shoulder. "I don't know why I'm this affected. She was evil. She had to die."

"It's okay," Aerrow whispered back. Better than all the other Storm Hawks, he had known death. Piper and Finn had been orphans from birth. Junko still had his family. Stork had been a loner from a young age. Aerrow, however, had gone through the pain of having a loving family for four short years then having them ripped away from him.

"It's okay," Aerrow soothed. He understood. He had gone through all of this himself. "She was evil, but she was still a person. A person is a person, no matter what, so we mourn for her passing. Don't feel any shame in your sorrow. Only if you didn't feel sorrow, that's when you should be ashamed."

* * *

Hey, well, you know how people usually say "don't flame" and all that jazz? Well, in an act of uniqueness, I am actually _requesting_ your flames.

Hear my reasoning: flames = criticizing, you criticize me, I learn where my weak spots are, and I become better. No, this is not reverse psychology to deter flamers. I genuinely want your critiques!


	2. Part 2: Piper

Author's Note:

Last night, I was watching _My Sister's Keeper_, which, in my opinion, is one of the most sad, tragic, and yet realistic movies I have ever seen. It especially got me in the end, when Anna said, "I wish I could say Kate made some miracle recovery, or that her death had some great meaning. But it didn't. We just had to go on." The entire movie was so sad and yet so touching; I sobbed through practically the whole thing.

So, of course, you can see where I got the inspiration from. As usual, I own nothing.

0000000000000000000

Aerrow was used to being the first one up. As team leader, he was usually the first person awake, turning on the lights, sometimes even starting breakfast.

However, Piper usually was up with him, helping him, encouraging him, making the breakfast with him.

Ever since Cyclonia had been defeated, things had been a bit less strict. Sure, there were still Raptors and Murk Raiders and ex-Talons to hunt down, but they didn't have to be ready for battle every second.

When Finn stumbled out into the bridge, yawning, Aerrow felt a hint of foreboding. Why wasn't Piper up yet?

Then, he realized that Piper was usually up so early. She had been working late on her crystals again last night, so there was no reason why she wouldn't want to sleep in.

However, as the morning went on, he got more and more worried. She never showed up. She never came out of her room for breakfast or anything. It was like she wasn't there.

What was going on? Why wasn't Piper OK?

He decided to give Piper some space, and had just mentally talked himself out of worrying when Junko barged into the bridge. "I tried poking her, but she just won't wake up!" the Wallop proclaimed.

Aerrow's heart jumped into his throat. Somehow, for some reason, he was irrationally freaked out. This was making him far more scared than he should be. Still, better safe than sorry. He rushed to his best friend, his sister in all but blood, his first crush, his _Piper_'s room.

"Aerrow?"

The navigator's voice was weak, as weak as her body. She looked pale, and skinnier than usual. There were dark circles under her bloodshot eyes. Her entire body looked like it was covered in bruises.

"Piper!" Aerrow cried. "We've got to get you to a hospital! Now! STORK!"

"No, Aerrow," she said softly. "It's too late."

"Don't you dare say that," he scolded, tears falling from his bright emerald eyes, spilling onto his cheeks like little rivulets. "STORK! SET COURSE FOR TERRA ATMOSIA!"

"They can't help me," she whispered.

"You don't know that!" Aerrow insisted.

"I do. Because I visited them the first time, when I fainted, because I wondered what was wrong with me. I didn't tell any of you because I didn't want you to worry." She started crying.

"I have leukemia. As in cancer, leukemia. I worked with too many unstable crystals, and the radiation caused my blood, my bones to start to…" She broke off, wiping her eyes furiously, determined to finish her story before she went hysterical.

"They told me I had two options: I could stay at the hospital, and undergo treatments, and live for a few months, or I could try to ignore it, and live for a few weeks. That was three weeks ago."

Aerrow gave her a tight hug. "Why?" he whispered, his voice catching in his throat. "Oh, Piper, of all the stupid things to do, why? You just killed yourself, basically. Why, Piper? What if they come up with some new cure in two weeks? Or a month?"

She shook her head. "Aerrow, you have to let me go. There are no miracle cures. I will die." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I will die, and I am ready to die. As ready as I'm going to be. And I didn't want to spend my last couple weeks in some hospital, surrounded by faceless strangers, getting ready for the next treatment that would make me sick. I wanted to spend it with you. Months, weeks, it's meaningless without my friends." Tears flowed freely now. "I didn't want to die in some hospital bed. I wanted to be with you."

Aerrow pulled her into a tight embrace. "Do you want to see the others?" She nodded.

The rest of the Storm Hawks, who had been listening mutely in the doorway, came filing in. Piper raised her eyes, then began to address all of them.

"Junko: you always were the sweetest person I knew, and it only goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. Promise me you'll learn to make sandcakes, and cook them for the others."

"Stork: I guess I should have been a bit more paranoid like you."

Stork sniffed, then leaned down to hug her. She giggled, surprised. "Aren't you afraid I'm contagious?"

"Leukemia isn't contagious," he replied stiffly. "And even if it were, there are more important things."

Piper smiled gratefully. "Radarr, I'll miss you. I'll never forget all the ruckus you always made, and how much those chickens loved you. You always made me smile."

"Finn: I'm so sorry. I've always been so busy criticizing you, that I haven't told you how much you meant to me. You're like my brother, Finn, and I only wanted you to do better. Promise me you'll never give up. Maybe one day when you've changed the musical world with your rock, you'll write a song for me, 'kay?"

"Okay," Finn replied, tears streaming down his cheeks.

She turned to the last person of their group. "Aerrow?"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything."

The other Storm Hawks began to inch out of the room, leaving the two alone. Piper smiled weakly. "Are you mad at me?"

"Not at you. At the world. For being so unfair!"

"Aerrow? Promise me you'll never stop…being you." Aerrow nodded, unable to stop himself from speaking without bursting into tears. He jumped onto the bed, holding her, comforting her, as they both drifted off to sleep.

Piper of the Storm Hawks did not die in battle. She did not die in some skimmer crash, or in some lab accident. She was not murdered by Master Cyclonis, or one of her subordinates.

Piper of the Storm Hawks died in her sleep, with Aerrow holding her. She just stopped breathing.

* * *

Wow. I actually feel bad for Piper, and I HATE Piper. Well, that's the end. I hope you enjoyed it. Review, please!


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